How Ethan Nwaneri can emulate Cesc Fabregas 04/05 breakthrough this season, Arteta must do one thing

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Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri has gone from strength to strength in the academy sides, and is shining in pre-season.

Nwaneri was impressive as he started in Arsenal’s draw with Bournemouth on their pre-season tour in the USA, and he kept his spot as Mikel Arteta gave him an opportunity against Manchester United.

The teenager was outstanding in the first half, and provided an assist for Gabriel Jesus to score. He now looks comfortable at the senior level, and could be ready for much more first-team action.

A young technical midfielder breaking through within the Arsenal Academy is not a new concept, as Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere also faced similar breakthroughs, and there are some parallels between Fabregas and Nwaneri.

How Cesc Fabregas broke into Arsenal first-team as a teenager

Nwaneri became the youngest player in the history of the Premier League when Arteta handed him his debut against Brentford two years ago.

Fabregas was also a teenager when he broke into the Arsenal team, and his entry was a sensational one, as he earned a first-team spot coming into a title-winning side with a midfield packed full of quality.

In the 2004-05 season, Fabregas was still just 17, but he made an astonishing 33 Premier League appearances.

Patrick Vieira was injured at the start of the season and Ray Parlour had departed, so Fabregas took his spot in the team. Eventually Vieira returned, but Gilberto Silva also picked up an injury, as did Edu Gaspar and the Spaniard stepped in again, eventually becoming undroppable by Arsene Wenger.

Ethan Nwaneri needs opportunity to emulate Fabregas in Arsenal breakthrough

It is clear that Nwaneri needs opportunities to try and even get close to playing as much as Fabregas did in his breakthrough season. Whilst he may not need to play 33 Premier League games just yet, some more game time is certainly needed.

The problem he faces is that Arteta has more midfield depth now than Wenger had at the time, particularly if Mikel Merino joins.

Nwaneri will hope to be given a fair opportunity, and Arteta simply must ensure that this happens, without waiting for an injury crisis to throw him into the team.